It has been a few weeks to try and digest the fact that this once great nation is doomed. Sure, I would be writing this Hits From The Box even if Labor had've been sworn in to run the country, as I hate Kevin Rudd sooooooo much, but Tony Abbott? REALLY? The Libs have some pretty awful ideas too - don't expect too much creative stimulation to happen over the next four years. But I don't want to get too political here. Instead, Ive chosen six bands that I think helps exemplify how I feel about the state of affairs. Hey, if music can't tell it like it is, what can?
The Wrong Man - well, this is a misnomer, really - the Kruddster was the lesser of two evils in many people's mind, yet I felt like he and Abbott proved that the Antichrist actually came in a pair. Nevertheless there had to be a better person to take the mantle? So let's leave it up to Brisbane's cantankerous one-man-garage-magnate (once sworn in as Fred Wood) and his six garrulous ditties he's released on Long Gone Records. 'Evil Mind' takes on a whole new meaning in this environment...
Tyranny Is Tyranny - again, it's all in the name. Doesn't matter what label you put on it, many policies here are blatant disregard for the welfare of the majority of the nation. The Wisconsin crew are ardent political subversives too, their raging tracks rife with baited vitriol. Let It Come From Whom It May (an apt title, and a mantra that might be a good one to take on...) is coming out on Phatry Records, you can pre-order it here.
Invisible Path - Who knows where the next four years will lead us, and whether we will make it out OK. At least Not Not Fun Records has us in a state of gauzy hypnosis in the form of Invisible Path's The Levitating Mirror. The project for Michael Bailey (ex-Barn Owl) is a lysergic sojourn into glossy midnight territory - the perfect soundtrack to slink in the shadows with your now hunted creatives. Seriously though, as tenuous as this link is, The Levitating Mirror is a bubbling masterclass in synth-entwined heart. I'm a big fan.
Huge Rat Attacks - OK, this is a bit of an erratic choice, but a friend of mine said only last week that she'd rather lie in a box filled with rats than be in the company of Abbott. That's a big call. But you do get a sense that there is a a sense of throwback urgency from this Minneapolis four-piece with a proclivity for dirge. They obviously like the subversive heaviness and absurdity that The Melvins bring to their craft, yet with a technicality more akin to Young Widows albeit with a more widespread stoner vibe - it's a pretty rad album, deserved of its own post if not for my friend's comment. Blame Illy.
Giga Herbs - and since we are staying tenuous, why not admit that it's going to take some alternate reality to get us through the upcoming battles? And what better thing to take us there than something of the herbal variety... The NY outcasts play almost straight-up indie pop, yet there is a simplistic Wayne Coyne/Nick Thorburn effect on much of these tracks that give it the tweak into the (mad) weird that we all want and need. Help us get away from here!
Overseas - so there is little we can do of course but rage against the machine, or find a way to work through it. Although another viable option is to simply get the fuck outta Dodge, something I am actually seriously contemplating. It also feels fitting that Overseas features one David Bazan - yes, the Pedro the Lion dude. If I have to flee the country like an inverse boat person that the Australian populace apparently hate so much, it may as well be with Bazan and his crew. So if the boat drowns, ill be blissfully unaware - and might get a five minute hate spot on Today Tonight. You can buy the self-titled album here.
Happy Wednesday everyone???
